I would like to state beforehand that the war Ukraine is tragic and I hope the conflict will end soon (preferably resolved via negotiations). However it is hard to ignore that it receives a lot more attention and attracts a lot more passion than other similar conflicts in recent history.^1
Post-WW2 conflicts in Europe
As it has been already discussed in this forum, the conflict might become the most significant European war since World War 2, but it remains a rather tall mark: (a) Yugoslav wars with 130,000-140,000 casualties are still well ahead; (b) the number of troops involved is notably less than those involved either in Yugoslavia or during the Warsaw pact invasion of Czechoslovakia (E.g., this article claims that only half of the amassed 150,000 Russian troops have been committed so far, whereas the initial commitment for Czechoslovakia was 250,000).
Post-WW2 conflicts elsewhere
- Korean war (1950-53) - about 3 million civilian deaths, and more than 2 million military deaths; committed forces up to 2 million on both sides
- Vietnam war (1955-75, including French and American action) - between 1,3 to 3,5 millions of deaths (note the uncertainty!), about 2 millions of fighters committed by both sides
- Algerian war (1954-62) - from 350,000 to 1.5 million deaths, depending on which side made the estimate; about 800,000 fighters committed; about 2 million refugees.
- Soviet-Afghan war (1979-89) - between half a million and 2 millions killed
- American invasion of Afghanistan (2001-2021) - about 200,000 killed
- American invasion of Iraq (2003-2011) - from 100,000 to 1 million killed
- Syrian civil war (from 2011) - about 600,000 killed
- Arab-Israeli conflict (from 1948) - about 120,000 killed
- Iran-Iraq war (1980-88) - about 400,000-800,000 total deaths
Question
What makes the Ukrainian war special? More specifically: does it touch essential economic, political or other interests of either side?
^1 : The conflict receives a lot more attention and attracts a lot more passion than other similar conflicts in recent history, e.g.,
- in terms of the level/harshness of the actual and proposed sanctions against Russia (excluding a permanent member from the UNSC? - has it ever been tried before?)
- in terms of the public outcry (including the remarks on this site)
- in terms of the media attention (both conventional and social media)
